The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1887-09-13
sARYLoNIAN INSCRIPTIONS.
A New Collection That VIII Please
Art Students.

LLondon Times.l
A collection Of Babylonian antiquities of
great interest is at the present time In the
hands Of private collector in this country.
The collection consists Of a series Of about
800 inscribed terra Gotta tablets relating TO
the revenues and tithes Of one Of the most
ancient of the Babylonian temples. In the
year 1880 Mr.. Hormuzd Rassam, when en-
gagedon the works Of exploration in Baby
lonia on behalf of the trustees OF the British
Museum, discovered In the mound Of Aboo
Hubba, about thirty miles from Bagdad, the
site of the ancient city of Sippara, ons Of the
chief centers Of the religious life of Chaldea,
in which was a great temple dedicated to the
Sun god. The work of exploration was con-
tinued during the subsequent expeditions Of
Mr.. Rassam, and large numbers Of inscribed
stones and terra Gotta cylinders and over
10000 inscribed tablets were obtained from
the chambers of this vast edifee and were
deposited in the British Museum. These
monuments vary in date from B. @. $500 to
B. c. 800, and represent every class of litera-
ture, sacred and secular. On the return Of
Mr.. Rassam to England. native oyerseers
were retained on the site for a short time,
but were last year removed. No sooner
were these men withdrawn than Arab an
tiquity hunters from Bagdad began their
irregular diggings on the site. and the collee-
tion which has Just reached this country was
thus obtained. While regretting that the re-
covery Of these records and the excavation
tion of so important site should be due to
so unscientifc a source, the new collection
will be welcome to all students, as several of
the inscriptions are Of great Importance.
The majority Of the tablets relate to the
collection OF the revenues OF the temple,
which were derived from tithes and dues i'm
posed on dates, as well as contributions from
pious donors. In addition to these sources
of revenue. large grants Of land had from
time to time been made to the temple by
kings and others, and were farmed like the
Wakif estates Of the Mohammedan mosques
OF the glebe lands Of our English Church.
Thus we find that in the twelfth century be-
fore the Christian era the King gave TO the
temple "a farm adjoining the City Of AlEssu
New TOWN., which is within Babylon, and
placed it In charge Of Ekur-sum-ibassi, a
priest" Similar grants were made by most
kings. The new collection of tablets affords
very clear indications of the wealth Of the
land Of Chaldea in the seventh and sixth
centuries before the Christian era. Thus
from one tablet we learn that 1900 sheep
were given TO the temple as sheep dues in
one year, the owners being allowed to re-
deem them on payment OF certain sums.
Herodotus tells US that Babyl0nia supplied
one-third Of the corn Of the Persian Empire
and some idea of the fertile condition may
be obtained by the tithe receipts here pre-
served to us. In one tablet 10000 measures
were received in the third year Of Naboni-
dus, b. G. 553; in another 800 measures from
one man. In addition TO corn, we find the
receipts for quantities of barley, dates and
other fruits, oils and honey. The persons
fhQeA fQFmarG
boatmen, scribes, weavers, and the master
of the camels. and also women, who thus ap-
pear TO have been taxpayers. The collec-
tion Of the taxes was appointed to certain
chief collector was Nabu-sumiddin, while In
Babylon the Egiblfoim were the tax gather
ers.
In addition to these receipts for revenues,
these tablets mention the reception Of vari-
GUS material for the repairs or adornment OF
lassar. b. Q. GIG. quantity OF wood and
stone was received in the seventh year of
Nebuchadnezzar H., B. Q. SAT, quantity OF
wood, furniture and bricks; In others, straw
and reeds for building purposes; while in the
first year Of Cambyses, b. c. go, we have
the memorandum Of the reception OF five
mineworth Of cedar and cypress wood. In
the reign of Darius we have the entry Of 81
shekels Of gold. a metal rarely mentioned In
these tablets. One Of the most interesting
with which the accounts are kept. The
names Of the payers are entered in full, and
sometimes the name Of the father and thC
| trade are given. The amount Is entered II
ruled columns, and separate payments In
| Other columns, the total being given at th'
| foot, and the whole sometimes eOuntersigneC
| by witnesses. Independent of their value
| as indicating the fiourlshing condition OF thu
| land Of Chaldea and the richness OF the tenn
| Piles. some Of these tablets are Of great his
in limb in fha oh
| of documents, on which Babylonian and As
| syrian chronology are based. Every one 0l
| these tablets Is dated in month, day, and reg
nal year Of the Kings reign when the trans
| action took place, and are, therefore, mos
| valuable aid to the construction OF the enron
| ology Of the period. The first OF these tao
| let's Is dated In the tenth year Of kindalanu
| the Kinladinus of the Canon OF ftolemy
| that is, the year Ii. G. 637, and forms valu-
| able record Of this last Of the Assyrian Vice
| roy Kings ruling In Babylonia and depen-
| dent on the Court of Nineyeh. Ihls hing
/ reign of twenty-five years terminated VIII
| the revolt of Nabupalassar and the death oi
/ Assurbanipal or Sardanapalus OF Assurpan
/ ipal. On the death of the latter King sever
/ al claimants arose for the Assyrian throne
/ among Others two sons Of Assurbanipal-twt
| of these tablets give dates In the reign Of tn,
1 second and third claimants, named Sui-sar
iskun, name hitherto unknown to us. Thi
i name, in the abbreviated form Of Sariskun
bears q nearer resemblance TO the Saracus o
the list of Berossus, the last king of Assyria
| The reign Of this King lasted but three years
and terminated with the success Of the re
| volt OF Nabulpalassar. In a tablet dated H
the first year Of Darius Hystaspes we FIN
the Persian King claiming only the title Q
king OF Countries" and not the full It'll
OF king OF Babylon and Countries" becaus
Babylon was at that time in the hand 0
Nidintu-Bel, the rebel. These tablets prov
very clearly that, great as has been the han
vest from the fields OF Chaldea, much re
mains to tempt US to renewed efforts in tn
] work Of exploration.